Wine-Based Spirits

I know what you're thinking: "Wine's great and all, but can't I get something harder?" Well, we've got you covered two ways.

Cognac, like champagne, is neither a grape nor a state of mind - it's a province southwest of Paris. Unlike Champagne, it's not a wine but technically a grape brandy. Cognac starts as wine-quality grapes, skins and all, and then is pressed like wine. It is double-distilled and then aged for years. Finally, it is blended with water and other cognacs. The blending process has two purposes: it allows for a greater depth of flavor and it dilutes it to its legal strength of 80 proof (40%).

A cognac's called V.S. if any of the cognacs in the blend are less than 4 1/2 years old. It's a V.S.O.P. if they're aged 4 1/2 years or longer. If none of the cognacs in the blend are aged less than 6 1/2 years then they are allowed to call it an XO.

Grappa is a brandy made from the wine leftovers, the stems and seeds and skins of pressed grapes. These are distilled into a potent liquor, one that can get as high as 100 proof. Italy is best known for grappas, but you can find Australian and American grappa as well.